pimply
Americanadjective
Usage
What does pimply mean? Pimply means covered with or having a lot of pimples, which are small inflammations or swellings of the skin that may or may not be filled with pus. Pimples are caused by acne, a skin condition in which the skin’s sebaceous glands become clogged and inflamed. Pimples are most commonly found on the face, but they can appear on other areas of the skin, such as the neck and back. They are most common among teens and preteens due to changes in body chemistry during the period of development known as puberty, but adults can also get pimples. Pimply is most commonly used to describe the face of someone with acne, but it can also be used to describe things that are bumpy in appearance. Using it to describe a person is usually very rude and insensitive, though some people may apply it to themselves, such as when they’ve had a breakout (the sudden appearance of several pimples). The word pimpled can be used as a synonym of pimply. Example: My skin has been really pimply since I started taking this new medication—it must be a side effect.
Other Word Forms
- unpimpled adjective
Etymology
Origin of pimply
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One pimply teenage boy named Oscar explained he didn’t have the resources to pay for a lawyer.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2025
For an adolescent, gossip was about currying favor, remaining on the inside of a group as a pimply teen terrified of being pushed outside.
From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2021
Many are what you’d expect: “before” images of pimply faces matched with “after” images of glowing skin, paid endorsements of creams, and suggestions of which foods will make one healthy and beautiful.
From Slate • Aug. 5, 2020
In her hallowed “Rock Encyclopedia,” critic Lilian Roxon begins Little Richard’s entry like this: “His pompadour was high and his hip action wicked when Elvis was still a pimply kid mowing lawns in Memphis.”
From Washington Post • May 9, 2020
He hardly spoke when he first came, skinny, pimply, beardless except for the babyhair on his upper lip and chin.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
